Success Stories: Luz’s Story

Luz and her husband, Luis, were newly married and could not wait to start a family together. After having two healthy children, Luz and Luis decided they would like to try for one more baby. Luz became pregnant with twins but sadly suffered a miscarriage. Following her miscarriage, Luz was having a great deal of pain and was having trouble accessing healthcare and finding the right doctor to treat her condition.

Luz turned to the Palatine Opportunity Center (POC), a United Way partner agency, for help. A community nurse at POC was able to help Luz find the appropriate doctors to diagnose and treat her medical condition. “She saved my life by giving me the right information,” Luz said. After the trauma of losing her twins, Luz also became very depressed and once again turned the POC for help. A health navigator at POC helped Luz to cope with loss and recover from the trauma of the miscarriage.

Luz was able to heal and become pregnant again. She gave birth to a beautiful daughter named Samantha. Luz is now working as a Promotora de Salud at the Palatine Opportunity Center and teaches new mothers about parenting skills and how to provide the best care for their children.
Without United Way and the Palatine Opportunity Center, Luz may not have been able to access the care that she needed to heal.

Luz’s story — and thousands more like it — changed because of people like you.

Through proven strategies and quality programs, United Way measurably improves lives for individuals, families and our region. Join us, and change the story for those in need in greater Chicago.